Upon acceptance of the terms of this act by
a special financial town meeting, which said meeting shall not be
held earlier than January 15, 1949, and at which said meeting the
vote shall be taken by ballot, with the polls open for balloting between
the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Town
of Coventry is authorized to organize and maintain a permanent fire
department, consisting of such number of officers and members as the
town council in office at the time of the approval of this act, or
its successors, shall determine.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 1)
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All officers and members of said department
shall be chosen by the town council from time to time as occasion
may require. They shall serve during the pleasure of the council at
such compensation as the council shall fix.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 2)
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The town council is authorized to make such
purchases from time to time as, in its opinion, may be necessary or
essential for the proper equipment of said fire department, provided,
however, that no purchase of a fire engine, pumper, hook and ladder
truck, fire station or land upon which to build such a station, shall
be made unless the financial town meeting of said town shall have
first appropriated the money therefor.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 3)
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From and after the creation of a town fire department
by the Town of Coventry under the provisions of this act, no fire
district or any other district furnishing fire protection now located
wholly or in part within the Town of Coventry shall pass any vote
or resolution levying a tax upon any taxable property within the Town
of Coventry for firefighting purposes, except hydrant rental, unless
it be for the object of liquidating obligations outstanding at the
time of the passage of a vote or resolution by the town council of
Coventry declaring that a town fire department has been organized
within said town, in the event that such obligations shall not be
assumed by the Town of Coventry. Nor shall any such fire district
or any other district furnishing fire protection pass any such vote
or resolution for the object of liquidating such obligations incurred
for firefighting purposes except hydrant rental, if the same shall
have been assumed by the Town of Coventry.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 4)
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Nothing in this act shall be considered or construed
as preventing or interfering with the right of any district to pass
any vote or resolution levying a tax upon any taxable property within
the Town of Coventry, where the district already has the right under
its charter to so levy, for the purpose of lighting streets or paying
for hydrant rental or carrying on any objects other than firefighting
authorized by their respective district charters.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 5)
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The Town of Coventry may contract with said
fire districts, or with any of them, to take over any or all of the
assets and to assume any or all of the liabilities of such districts
or district upon such terms as the contracting parties may agree upon,
and the said several fire districts are authorized to enter into any
such contract or contracts with the Town of Coventry.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 6)
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In such of said fire districts as overlap town
lines an equitable division and distribution of the assets and liabilities
owned or outstanding at the time of the passage of a vote or resolution
by the town council of Coventry declaring that a town fire department
has been organized within said town shall be made between the Coventry
taxpayers and the taxpayers of such other town or city included in
such district or districts by boards of appraisers consisting respectively
of three citizens of the Town of Coventry to be appointed by the town
council of Coventry and three citizens of each of the sections of
the respective fire districts located outside the Town of Coventry
to be elected at a meeting of said respective fire districts by the
taxpaying citizens thereof residing in the respective sections of
said fire districts located outside the Town of Coventry and such
division and distribution shall respectively require the approval
of a majority of the members of said several boards of appraisers
and in the event that a majority cannot so agree said boards of appraisers
or any of them as the case may be shall appoint an umpire who shall
be a citizen of the State of Rhode Island but not a resident or taxpayer
of the Town of Coventry or of any city or town in which said fire
district overlaps and thereupon said umpire shall be a member of the
board of appraisers appointing him and said division and distribution
shall then be made by the vote and written agreement of at least four
of said members of said board.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 7)
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A town fire department shall be held to have
been organized under this act when the town council of Coventry passes
a resolution declaring that such a department has been organized and
is ready to take over the duties of the said fire districts or other
districts furnishing fire protection now existing within said town.
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(P.L. 1948, Ch. 2147, § 8)
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